


No Place Like Home

by withprettywords



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Pre-Slash, Roadtrip, hale roadtrip, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2013-10-10
Packaged: 2017-12-28 23:57:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/998434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withprettywords/pseuds/withprettywords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek and Cora leave Beacon Hills, not knowing if they'll ever return. But there is one thing keeping them tied to the pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Place Like Home

**Author's Note:**

> Completely unedited. This started as me writing out a Hale roadtrip headcanon on tumblr and it kind of evolved into fic.

I keep imagining Derek and Cora driving off to wherever on some kind of quest. And Derek promised himself he would leave these kids alone for awhile. He wanted to let Scott grow into his new role, let them all adjust and grow together as a pack. And just take some time with Cora, because for once he feels okay.

But then he needs information on something. He knows it’s somewhere on the internet but after two days of searching on the shitty motel laptop, he and Cora can’t find anything useful. So he texts Stiles, just this once. And he was only asking for tips on searching but somehow Stiles figured out what Derek was looking for and found all the info he could possibly want. It was all there, waiting for him in an email.

But it doesn’t stop there. Stiles still emails him sometimes. Funny things, silly things, weird things too—anything he might find interesting. And he texts too. Not very often, but every couple of weeks he’ll ask how things are going, how’s Cora doing, if they’re having fun, or if they’ve found any places worth visiting on their super secret sibling roadtrip. Stiles’ wording, obviously.

Derek had wanted a break from Beacon Hills, and everyone in that town. But he can’t find it in himself to tell Stiles to stop texting. It’s not like he encourages him, really. Derek rarely responds, and if he does it’s just a couple words, nothing that could be considered an actual conversation. And they don’t even talk about important things—like what’s going on with the pack or what Derek is looking for. It’s just simple and casual in a way he’s not used to, and yet, it’s the closest thing to friendship he’s had in years. Derek hadn’t even realized how much he counted on these messages until they stopped completely.

It shouldn’t bother him. Stiles doesn’t have to text him. They never made a deal to keep in contact or anything. But it was reassuring because he knew as long as Stiles was sending messages, the pack was okay. So when he didn’t hear from Stiles for a solid month, Derek started to worry.

"You’re worried," Cora told him, not even bothering to make it a question. They were in Arizona tracking down a lead on an old friend of their mother’s, someone who should be able to help them. He didn’t have to tell her what was bothering him. They never talked about it when his phone buzzed, sometimes two or three times in a row, or all those random messages from Stiles in their shared email, but she must have noticed when it stopped because she just _knew_. “We can go back for a couple days, just to check in. We don’t even have to tell anyone we’re back in town,” she suggested.

Derek knew she must be concerned to make that kind of offer. When they left, Cora made it pretty clear that she never wanted to return to Beacon Hills. It was different for her because she didn’t have as many years of fond childhood memories attached to this place, before all the bad ones. It was never really home to her. And she didn’t know these kids like he did, didn’t really want to after losing Boyd so abruptly. Derek was proud of her for helping as much as she did there at the end. And he didn’t miss how she was nearly as anxious as him to go back when they heard Lydia’s scream.

They left later that morning and were in Beacon Hills by nightfall. Derek was expecting to walk into chaos, but the town felt quiet as they drove through the streets. But he wouldn’t be fooled by that. Too many bad things have happened in this town that went unnoticed, tragedies happening to some while others go on with their lives. His first instinct was to call Stiles, and after half an hour he finally talked himself into it, but it went straight to voicemail.

Either his phone was off or not charged or lying around somewhere, broken beyond repair. Derek had the sickening thought that maybe Stiles was in a similar state, broken and lying around helplessly because he can’t heal. As strong as he could be sometimes, Stiles is still human and that makes him vulnerable.

"We’ll find him," Cora promises, not bothering to specify who because she knows, she’s always known. She hardly knows him anymore after years apart, but still she can read him like a book in a way he once thought only Laura could. He must be radiating concern at this point, but her hand on his shoulder lets him breathe a little easier. His thoughts were getting increasingly dark as they drove past Stiles’ empty house and then Scott’s, and even the Argent’s apartment. At the very least he could hear heartbeats in there, but not enough to account for the entire missing pack.

He was always the one to insist that nobody was considered dead until there was a body, but still, images kept popping into his head. First Stiles, body ripped apart and left in the woods, face expressionless and blank like he’d never seen it before. But Scott would never let that happen. He would rather die than see Stiles hurt. And there was no doubt in Derek’s mind that Isaac would die right alongside Scott, trying his best to protect the one truly positive thing in his life, and fighting hard to defend something he doesn’t quite understand yet. Derek hoped that Allison and Lydia had managed to escape whatever trouble the others found, he hoped that they were two of the many heartbeats in that apartment building. But he knew they weren’t the sort of girls to stay home when their friends were in danger, and whatever fate they suffered would happen to them all. He could think of nothing but their bodies, bloodied and scattered through a clearing in the woods like a battlefield.

He lost his breath for a moment and stopped right there on the empty road. Cora looked at him, took in his white knuckles on the steering wheel and the way he looked straight ahead without actually _seeing._

"We would feel it," she assured him, refusing to let her voice shake with her own nerves because one of them had to be sure. "I’ll drive," she said, practically forcing him out his door to switch places. "We haven’t checked Lydia’s," she pointed out, turning the car around to head in the right direction.

Derek didn’t question how Cora knew where Lydia lived. He had only been there once himself, just a few nights after he first came to town and noticed a wild new beta roaming around with no clue about the danger he’d become. His only concern that night was to protect the hunter’s daughter and make sure Scott’s obsession didn’t fuel his violent urges. And more than anything, he just wanted Scott to get through the night without his eyes turning blue.

But then he got invested in the kid, and his bite seemed suspiciously related to Laura’s death. So he stuck around, made a place for himself here, tried not to notice as others wormed their way into his life and now he couldn’t imagine a future without them.

Derek couldn’t even describe the feeling of relief that washed over him at the line of motorcycles and familiar cars in Lydia’s driveway. He slumped forward in his seat, head in his hands, suddenly exhausted from the stress he’d put himself through. He’d expected the worst, knowing better that anyone that sometimes the worst things you can imagine actually come true. But sometimes those thoughts are just nightmares.

"See," Cora goaded gently. "I told you they were fine."

Derek smiled at her, not caring that there were tears in the corners of his eyes. He would’ve been satisfied with just that, seeing their vehicles gathered around, hearing soft murmuring from the back yard. But something was missing and he cursed himself for not seeing it sooner.

"Do you see the jeep?" he asked, heart sinking when he realized it was missing from the group. Cora looked around the street, but he knew she wouldn’t find it. The grim thoughts returned and he was imagining increasingly darker scenarios when Cora pulled him out of the car.

"C’mon," she said, pulling on his jacket sleeve until he was standing on shaky legs. "They’re all here, might as well find out what’s going on."

And then they were walking. Around the house, through one of those aged metal gates covered in vines that probably squeaked when they walked through, but nobody came to investigate. There weren’t as many voices now, just a few speaking softly and their words blended together but the sound was familiar. And just as he suspected there was one particular voice noticeably absent.

He couldn’t imagine Stiles actually being quiet for this long, so by the time they approached the garden, Derek was expecting to see everyone dressed in black and looking solemn. A funeral he’d been dreading since that first day in the woods. He found himself with the odd wish that it were anyone else that had been silenced forever. Like out of all the possible dead teenager scenarios this was by far the worst and he didn’t even realize it until that moment.

And just when Derek felt he was finally prepared to face that fate with whatever bravery he had left, they took the last few steps forward onto the patio.

Taken aback would be an understatement. He was surprised, but also a bit angry because he’d just put himself through emotional hell _twice_ , only to find everyone perfectly fine. They were all there, casually hanging around the patio with cheap plastic cups in their hands and paired off as usual. But then there was Stiles, sitting by the pool, running his fingers through the water mindlessly while he watched the others with narrowed eyes.

Derek was still technically standing in the shadows, with Cora just behind him, but he knew they were visible if someone looked that way. He heard Cora scoff behind him when she saw the group, probably equally displeased by the false alarm. Derek had just turned to walk away when he heard his name. It was soft, probably not even meant for him to hear, but it was exactly what Derek needed so he stopped and turned back. He was kind of impressed that at a party of mostly werewolves, _Stiles_ was the one to notice them creeping in the bushes.

Stiles wasn’t drunk, exactly, but he’d had enough alcohol to make his eyes go wide at the sight of them and he nearly fell in the pool as he scrambled to his feet. Derek watched as Stiles approached, looking steadier than he’d expected from his flailing around the pool. Derek hadn’t thought this part through. They were just planning on looking around, checking in from afar, but that plan had derailed pretty quickly and now Stiles was in front of him, looking up at him expectantly.

"You’re back!" Stiles said, easily filling the space that would otherwise be awkward silence.

Derek nodded. “Not for long,” he said vaguely and watched Stiles’ shoulders drop in something that looked like disappointment.

"Oh," he said and Derek could almost feel Cora rolling her eyes behind him. He should be mad at Stiles. For several months now he’d followed this pattern and a break in that pattern should _mean_ something.

"You didn’t answer your phone," Cora said accusingly, and Stiles looked over at her for the first time.

Stiles got that look on his face like he was putting pieces of a puzzle together and he looked mildly alarmed by the conclusion, and actually sort of pleased at the same time. “You came here because of me?” he asked, obviously delighted, only a trace of his concern left.

"Your phone," Cora reminded him.

"Right. My phone fell into the lake and I haven’t been able to fish it out yet and NOBODY WILL HELP ME," he scolded, as if the others were listening. "But yeah, I have a new one with a different number and SIM card. And the other one had all my passwords saved too so I can’t even get into anything online…"

Derek shook his head because it made sense. Of course Stiles’ phone was destroyed. That happens to people all the time. It was a reasonable possibility that he might’ve considered if their lives weren’t so full of pain and death.

"But why were you calling out of the blue? Did something happen?" Stiles asked, putting dots together in his usual way that involved lots of rambling in between relevant thoughts.

"You stopped texting," Cora answered easily. Derek sighed because he knew what was coming.

Stiles’ whole face lit up like he had some sort of grand revelation. “I knew it!” he accused joyfully, squirming around with excitement. “You acted like you don’t care at all, like I’m always bothering you but you totally love my texts.”

Derek rolled his eyes dramatically, putting more effort into the gesture to visibly show his annoyance in a way that even Stiles could understand. But as always, Stiles seemed unphased. “You had a pattern and you broke the pattern,” Derek answered logically, but he’d be lying if he said that is what brought him back. He knew something could be wrong, considering all they had been through it was a reasonable thought, but it was his emotional attachment to these stupid kids that made him drive all this way to see if they’re okay.

Stiles shrugged, his smug smile not at all diminished. “Oh my god. Did you like read my texts out loud to Cora all the time. Like, ‘guess what Stiles just said he’s so funny.’” he mimed in a deep grumbly voice, barely able to speak through his laughter.

"No," Derek answered gruffly. Cora might’ve read some of them, it’s not like he hid his phone from her or anything, but he certainly didn’t read them to her. It was a ridiculous suggestion, which is no doubt what had Stiles in a laughing fit. For the first time Derek missed being an alpha because even Stiles would startle when he flashed his red eyes. He didn’t stay startled long, and it only worked sometimes but it was the only way he knew to shut the boy up. He couldn’t believe that not long ago he was missing Stiles’ voice.

"I was joking, geez," he said to clear the air since he was the only one laughing, but then he must’ve thought of something new because he got this look on his face like he wasn’t done yet. "I know you wouldn’t show her because then she’d see the pictures," he said cryptically and this time he kept his expression totally blank and serious.

Cora looked at him with a raised eyebrow. A few days ago she might not have believed Stiles’ joke so easily but after witnessing Derek’s panic over this particular human’s safety, she was not so easily dismissive of Stiles’ false claim.

"There are no pictures," he assured her.

"Yeah, none that he’d show his sister," Stiles added, holding his hand up in that ‘pretend to tell secrets but everyone can hear you’ way. And Derek wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face.

"No, none. At all. He never sent me any pictures," Derek said, turning to Cora beside him who was looking between them like they were being ridiculous. _Oh._ She hadn’t believed Stiles anyway.

"That’s not true!" Stiles defended. "I sent you a picture of that weird bunny I saw in the woods. It was brown and skinny, but in a tall rugged sort of way. And it looked like some kind of bad-boy, rebellious rabbit from the wrong side of the tracks, you know?"

Derek suspected he was getting twin ‘i don’t know what you’re talking about but i also don’t care’ looks from the two of them because he ended that tangent even though he probably had a lot more to say. At the time Derek had texted back something like ‘yeah, that’s nature’, which Stiles probably remembered perfectly. He doesn’t have a photographic memory, not like the characters you see on TV, but he does remember things remarkably well if he was paying attention to them in the first place.

"So are you staying? Now that you’re back home," Stiles asked and Derek had to turn his listening back on because he thought they were going to hear more useless information about rabbits.

"For tonight," Cora answered for them, even though Derek kind of got the feeling Stiles was mostly asking him.

"Okay," he said, nodding his acceptance like he knew that was the best answer he’d get for now. "Do you want to?" he asked, gesturing toward the mellow party going on behind them. "I think Lydia’s mom has some beer," he said, feigning innocence. "And you could have some fruit juice, that’s what I was having. I’ve just been drinking fruit juice all night," Stiles rambled, making himself seem very guilty. Derek could smell the tropical fruit mix, but he knew it wasn’t the only thing in that cup.

"Right," Derek said skeptically, mostly to let Stiles know he wasn’t fooling him at all.

Scott practically tackled him with a hug on sight and Isaac was only a moment behind him. Stiles took that moment to get a little closer, and Derek couldn’t be sure but it felt like Stiles hugged against his side a little too. It felt strange because none of them were really huggers, (except maybe Scott and Stiles but they mostly saved that for each other), but there they all were in Lydia’s courtyard, nearly falling to the ground in the closest thing to a puppy pile Derek has seen in ages. Cora stood back like she wasn’t having any of it, but he didn’t miss her wave to Lydia and the way the twins smiled gratefully at her. She did help save their lives, after all.

It was later that night when Cora told him she thinks he should stay. They had a couple months away, let everything settle here in town while they recovered elsewhere. He felt rejuvenated, and close enough with his sister that he knew they wouldn’t lose contact again.

And as far as homecomings go, he probably couldn’t beat this reception. They were happy to see him. They actually wanted him back home, in the pack, and it was far more than he’d expected. He had wondered many times if they’d blame everything on him when he left, if he’d become some sort of scapegoat like that night at the school when Scott told everyone Derek was on a murderous rampage. But when they looked at him, Derek saw no resentment.

"But we didn’t find it," he said vaguely, not willing to share that particular bit of information with the others yet.

Cora shrugged. “I can keep looking. And you can chase down leads from here. You know, research,” she said, nodding toward Stiles.

Derek smiled despite himself. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be staying. But I can’t let you go out on your own. It’s too dangerous.”

"I could bring Peter," she joked, neither of them considering that a real possibility. He might be helpful at times, and he even has an occasional good idea, but Peter is not exactly trustworthy. "No, but really. I have a friend in Mexico that I could probably talk into an extended roadtrip."

"Are you sure?" he asked, not willing to fight her further on this if she has already made up her mind.

She smiled then, real and genuine like he rarely saw. “You fit here. You might not see it yet, but you have a place here with them,” she said and Derek got the feeling she was looking at Stiles again somewhere behind him. The thing is, he was beginning to see it too.

"You fit too, you know," Derek said, not needing to ask the others how they felt. He could see how worried they were when Cora was sick, how they helped him get her out of the hospital to safety. They did it on their own really while he was stuck in the elevator.

"I know. Just not right now," she answered, sounding wise beyond her years as usual, when she wasn’t being a petulant teenager. Her smile turned sly. "But I’m taking the Camaro."


End file.
